Beginnings...again

So, I'm restarting this blog, and doing so in a fashion that will not only include the occasional piece of poetry but also thoughts on life (mine, mostly, although I do not promise to avoid pontificating), medical school, and, most particularly, my journey as a writer of speculative fiction (here's a nice link to Robert Rogoff's definition of speculative fiction if you're new to the term).

I say most particularly for the last one because if you know me (and at this point, I assume that anybody reading this does, almost certainly, actually know me), you know that this has been my end goal for a while now. It's not really surprising; books have always been my home, and spec fic books in particular.

And I happen to believe that you should aim towards a life spent in the place that makes you more comfortable. And as writing is the thing that I can be utterly absorbed into, for hours and hours on end (seriously, I'm not exaggerating here-ask the Wife. Apparently, it's utterly infuriating.), well, there you have it.

(Huh. I didn't expect the pontificating to rear its head quite so quickly. I should probably get that checked out...)

Now, I'm also in medical school doing my damnedest to keep afloat long enough for some bearded fellow in a funny hat and dress (looking at the faculty list for my school, there appear to be even odds it will be one of the bearded ones) to drape a long piece of cloth around me (while hopefully then not progressing towards hanging me with it in response to my propensity for bad jokes) and declare me a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. (Aren't familiar with Osteopathic Medicine in the States? Once more, with feeling this time: Helpful Link.)

So at this point, you  might be asking yourself (well, me, most likely), how are these two plans going to work together and play nice and keep shop and bear to be under the same roof, etc., all while you're married to The Wife (so fantastic she deserves the term all to herself, in my opinion) and raising the three most incredible munchkins on the planet (I assume the third is going to be fantastic as the first two most certainly are)?

Well, I tend to buy into the belief that my medical training will infuse my writing and make me a better, more realistic spec fic author. I also hope that constantly engaging in a process that depends so heavily upon one's ability to empathize will help me somewhat in avoiding the burnout that is decimating the medical profession (I'm not doing your work for you on this one; seriously, just google "doctor" and "burnout" and you'll have all the info you need.) by routinely working the muscle that keeps compassion alive.

And, perhaps most importantly for me and mine, writing really is what keeps me going. It's the best anti-depressant I've ever come across, and thus helps me remain somewhat of a happy, healthy, functioning human being. So it's not really so much a matter of how am I going to keep writing with everything else going on, but instead a question of, can I really afford not to?

So, there you have it: come by periodically to see how I'm doing, what I'm doing, how the writing is going, and, hopefully soon, where you might find said writing being published. And as we get things rolling, feel free to tell all of your friends!

And strangers. You're welcome to tell them, too.

Now, speaking of school, I'm off to learn a few things about reading chest x-rays, which I am shocked to learn are somewhat of a big deal.

Catch you on the flip side.